History

 Tuberculosis Commission was established in 1910 as a pioneer step in tuberculosis control and that lead to a methodical approaches in control activities. TB has made a Notifiable in a restricted scale in the Colombo city in the same year. In 1916.TB detection centre was established in Pettah, Colombo. Inward facilities for TB patients were established in 1917 at Ragama Hospital, in 1919 at Kandana and In 1930 at Kankasanturei Hospitals. Reporting of TB deaths has been made compulsory in 1925. During the Second World War, Walisara Hospital has been converted to a military hospital for soldiers with infectious diseases. After the war, in 1946. it was designated as a TB Hospital The Anti TB Campaign was established in 1945. Pulmonary TB has made notifiable in 1948 and in 1956 Central Notification Act was passed making TB notification compulsory. BCG vaccination was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1949. Special TB wards were established in several hospitals in the country in 1953 and fully equipped laboratory was established in VVelisara. IN 1954. special training school for nurses engaged in TB control activities was established in Websara. In 1960 TB control programme was incorporated in to public health services and by year 1972 TB control activities were implemented island wide.
In 1989 TB control programme was renamed as Respiratory Disease Control Programme (RDCP). The DOTS strategy was introduced in 1995. RDCP was again renamed as National Programme for Tuberculosis control and Chest Diseases in 2001. In 2005. Slandered Treatment Regimen was introduced and the drugs were provided by the Global centre for Drug Supply free of charge. With the end of the civil conflict and establishment of peace and order in the country. it was able to expand the services island wide in uniform basis throughout the country. Construction of the new sputum culture laboratory in Kandy was started in 2010. With the establishment of chest clinics in Kilinochchi and Mulathieu, it was able to implement DOTS island wide. DOT centers were opened in three private health institutions and sputum microscopy services of these institutions were brought under quality control of the NTRL E based Patient Information Management system was established in all districts in 2012, which enabled central unit to get access to the information regarding patient management. Drug situation and service provision timely. Provincial culture laboratory network was further strengthened and New culture Laboratory was opened in Rathnapura in year 2012.